Thursday, November 24, 2016

Sound & Groove, Episode 69: "Left Out Of The Essentials" Part 2

1978 saw Elvis Costello release his sophomore effort but this time with his road band, the Attractions, credited along with him. The result was a pile-driving, snarling, edgy, yet melodic and well-crafted album entitled This Year's Model. It produced a few hit singles but more importantly sprung the unlikely looking rock star to a new level of critical and commercial fame- one that had a few bumps along the way before he found a more settled, mellow period of his career in the mid-80s. The debate raged on about whether he was punk or simply just pub rock or even power pop but Elvis embarked on a career where he tackled just about every genre under the sun and proved himself an intelligent, subversive singer-songwriter along the way that wasn't defined by his earlier, guitar-driven compositions.

This here is the 5th episode of 2016 for the Sound & Groove Podcast and on this one, we explore songs that are usually left out of the lists of essential listening (say that three times fast) for major pop/rock artists. So I'm talking great compositions that only the hardcore fans of these names would rank up there, but ones that the officially record company releases and radio playlists tend to forget about or infrequently use. This will be the 2nd of 2 episodes on this theme, as I collect for you my favourite nuggets or overlooked gems from some big names in contemporary music history over the past half century.

And if you haven't been keeping up with S&G on Music of Evan's Mind and/or its newest home at www.notthepublicbroadcaster.com, here's the breakdown: Every month there will be a theme that the selection of music is centered around. It will be jam packed with my analysis, synopses, anecdotes and other witticisms you might enjoy while I played edited-down versions of each tune. And not to worry, each month will containe a different theme than the last. Got it? Get it? Good. Happy listening to you all!

All comments, questions and feedback are greatly welcomed and appreciated! I encourage participation. Even though I drain an hour off your life by listening to the podcast then checking through the links, at least you don't have to fork over your money to me... though if you feel like, you know... But in all seriousness, let me now what you'd like to hear or see and I'll consider it. Popular approval doesn't always sway me but having fans or listeners get their input would be just grand!